Why Rabbi Judah the Prince Refused a Roman Escort

Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 133:25

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·

"And he said, Let me leave with you some of the people who are with me" (Genesis 33:15). Esau sought to accompany Jacob, but Jacob would not accept it. Our Teacher [Rabbi Judah the Prince], whenever he would go up to the imperial court, would study this passage, and he would not take Romans along with him. One time he did not look into it and he took Romans along with him, and he had not reached Acco before he had to sell his signet ring.

Themes

JacobProvidenceExempla Rabbis

Continue Reading

Keter Shem TovJacob's Place Holds the Sparks of the LandJacob lay down in one place, and the whole land came under him. Keter Shem Tov 1:8:1 takes the Talmudic image of God folding the Land of Israel beneath Jacob atYalkut Shimoni on TorahWhy Esau Emerged First and the Tale of Diocletian the SwineherdWhy did Esau force his way out before his brother? One teaching says it was mercy in disguise: he came out first so that all his blood and filth would spill outYalkut Shimoni on TorahThe King Defends His Beloved Pauper Against the Jealous CourtA poor man has been taken by the king as a favorite. He wanders in and out of the palace freely, without waiting for permission, and the courtiers seethe with eYalkut Shimoni on TorahThere Is a Foot That Blesses a House and a Foot That Ruins ItThe midrash fills in a hidden scene that took place before Jacob ever reached Haran. The Holy One, blessed be He, sent a plague upon Laban's flocks, thinning thYalkut Shimoni on TorahThe Peeled Rods and the Angels Who Bred Jacob's FlocksScripture tells how Jacob took fresh rods of poplar, almond, and plane tree, peeled white streaks into them, and set them in the watering troughs. The midrash pYalkut Shimoni on TorahWhy Jacob Sent the Herds Apart and Hid Dinah in a ChestEvery detail of Jacob's strategy carried intention. He handed the animals to his servants "every drove by itself," not jumbled together, so that the size of the